The ability of a communications transmitting device to operate according to its specifications is crucial to proper communications between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Often the user does not realize the transmitting device is not operating according to its specification until it fails completely. When the device fails, it must be taken out of service, the problem diagnosed and the device repaired. The present invention overcomes this limitation by advising the user when a specification parameter is not met, although the device may continue to operate within the network at a degraded level.
In accordance with common practice, the various described features are not drawn to scale, but are drawn to emphasize specific features relevant to the invention. Like reference characters denote like elements throughout the figures and text.